Freud Museum London: Psychoanalysis Podcasts

Richard Rusbridger: The Internal World of Don GiovanniAndrea Sabbadini: Psychoanalysis and Choral SingingRichard Rusbridger: The Internal World of Don GiovanniThe author tries to account for the disturbing impact of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. Some writers idealize Don Giovanni's power and vitality. The author’s view is that Mozart's music depicts him as a much emptier character, using phallic narcissism as a way of surviving a psychic catastrophe by projecting his pain into others. The music shows how Giovanni lives in projective identification with many other objects and part objects, masculine and feminine; and how he seduces them into complicity with his defensive system. This situation is contrasted musically with the world of the other characters, particularly the women, who are depicted as more ordinary, more complex and, in fact, more sensual.Andrea Sabbadini: Psychoanalysis and Choral SingingAfter a brief introduction on the relationship between psychoanalysis and music, and on the importance of sounds in early development, I will describe some aspects of my long experience as an amateur choral singer of classical music. Over the years singing, with its direct involvement of the body alongside the mind, has represented for me an invaluable contrast to my daily analytic work with patients, as well as a complement to it. I believe that my involvement with choral singing and psychoanalysis has much enriched my appreciation of both.

Mark Berry: Freud, Psychoanalysis, and Schoenberg’s OperasArnold Schoenberg came to artistic maturity in that celebrated 'crucible of modernity' sometimes simply known as 'Freud's Vienna'. It was there and then that he resolved, not without regret, to break with tonality, to feel, as the Stefan Georg text to his 1908 Second String Quartet – the work within which he made that break – has it, the 'air of another planet'. In this lecture, I shall look in particular at two of his operas. Erwartung, his first, was written in 1909, to a text by Marie Pappenheim, a dermatologist with interest in psychoanalysis, and a relative of Josef Breuer’s ‘Anna O’. Its exploration, verbal and musical, of extreme psychological states has much to tell us concerning Schoenberg’s own concerns. Moses und Aron, Schoenberg’s final, unfinished opera was written considerably later, in the final years of Weimar Germany, prior to Schoenberg’s flight from the Third Reich. It will be considered in the light of Freud’s own Moses and Monotheism, and with particular respect to Schoenberg’s fears of idolatry. A relatively recent production, from the Vienna State Opera,  which treats the Orgy around the Golden Calf with images from modern advertising points to important questions concerning our desires and their fulfilment.

Mark Berry: Freud, Psychoanalysis, and Schoenberg’s Operas Arnold Schoenberg came to artistic maturity in that celebrated 'crucible of modernity' sometimes simply known as 'Freud's Vienna'. It was there and then that he resolved, not without regret, to break with tonality, to feel, as the Stefan Georg text to his 1908 Second String Quartet – the work within which he made that break – has it, the 'air of another planet'. In this lecture, I shall look in particular at two of his operas. Erwartung, his first, was written in 1909, to a text by Marie Pappenheim, a dermatologist with interest in psychoanalysis, and a relative of Josef Breuer’s ‘Anna O’. Its exploration, verbal and musical, of extreme psychological states has much to tell us concerning Schoenberg’s own concerns. Moses und Aron, Schoenberg’s final, unfinished opera was written considerably later, in the final years of Weimar Germany, prior to Schoenberg’s flight from the Third Reich. It will be considered in the light of Freud’s own Moses and Monotheism, and with particular respect to Schoenberg’s fears of idolatry. A relatively recent production, from the Vienna State Opera,  which treats the Orgy around the Golden Calf with images from modern advertising points to important questions concerning our desires and their fulfilment.

David Adam in conversation with Oliver JamesHave you ever had the sudden fear that you didn’t lock the back door? Or the disturbing thought of jumping in front of an oncoming train?You are not alone. Most of us experience strange thoughts and compulsions that occur to us ‘out of the blue’. They can sometimes be distressing and embarassing, but they are also very common. For many people, they spiral into the living nightmare of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).OCD is estimated to afflict roughly 750,000 people in the UK alone. But what exactly is it? Where do its characteristic thoughts and compulsions come from? And can a psychoanalytic approach shed light on this debilitating condition?Join David Adam and Oliver James for an intimate exploration of the experience of OCD and its possible explanations.David Adam is an award-winning journalist, formerly of the Guardian, and currently an editor at the science journal Nature. He is the author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, an intimate look at the power of intrusive thoughts, how our brain can turn against us and what it means to live with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.Oliver James is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Since 1988, he has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. His books include the best-selling Affluenza, They F*** You Upand Love Bombing.Part of a season of performances, talks, workshops and events accompanying the 'Festival of the Unconscious' exhibition, 24 June - 4 October 2015.

David Adam in conversation with Oliver James Have you ever had the sudden fear that you didn’t lock the back door? Or the disturbing thought of jumping in front of an oncoming train? You are not alone. Most of us experience strange thoughts and compulsions that occur to us ‘out of the blue’. They can sometimes be distressing and embarassing, but they are also very common. For many people, they spiral into the living nightmare of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is estimated to afflict roughly 750,000 people in the UK alone. But what exactly is it? Where do its characteristic thoughts and compulsions come from? And can a psychoanalytic approach shed light on this debilitating condition? Join David Adam and Oliver James for an intimate exploration of the experience of OCD and its possible explanations. David Adam is an award-winning journalist, formerly of the Guardian, and currently an editor at the science journal Nature. He is the author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, an intimate look at the power of intrusive thoughts, how our brain can turn against us and what it means to live with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder. Oliver James is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Since 1988, he has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. His books include the best-selling Affluenza, They F*** You Upand Love Bombing. Part of a season of performances, talks, workshops and events accompanying the 'Festival of the Unconscious' exhibition, 24 June - 4 October 2015.

David Adam in conversation with Oliver JamesHave you ever had the sudden fear that you didn’t lock the back door? Or the disturbing thought of jumping in front of an oncoming train?You are not alone. Most of us experience strange thoughts and compulsions that occur to us ‘out of the blue’. They can sometimes be distressing and embarassing, but they are also very common. For many people, they spiral into the living nightmare of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).OCD is estimated to afflict roughly 750,000 people in the UK alone. But what exactly is it? Where do its characteristic thoughts and compulsions come from? And can a psychoanalytic approach shed light on this debilitating condition?Join David Adam and Oliver James for an intimate exploration of the experience of OCD and its possible explanations.David Adam is an award-winning journalist, formerly of the Guardian, and currently an editor at the science journal Nature. He is the author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, an intimate look at the power of intrusive thoughts, how our brain can turn against us and what it means to live with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.Oliver James is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Since 1988, he has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. His books include the best-selling Affluenza, They F*** You Upand Love Bombing.Part of a season of performances, talks, workshops and events accompanying the 'Festival of the Unconscious' exhibition, 24 June - 4 October 2015.

Civilization and its Discontents: A Marathon ReadingThe Centre for Creative and Critical Thought at the University of Sussex together with the Freud Museum London are pleased to announce a marathon reading of Sigmund Freud’s classic text, Civilization and its Discontents, at the Freud Museum on Sunday 14 June.Civilization and Its Discontents, written in 1929, remains the definitive text on human destructiveness. As news of wars around the globe, appalling brutality, religious conflict and sexual violence continue unabated, the relevance of this work is undeniable. ‘Men are not gentle creatures’ Freud wrote, ‘but ...creatures whose instinct [is] aggressiveness.’The event is free with an admission ticket to the Freud Museum. There are no tickets and audience members can come and go as they please. This is a staged reading and interactive performance.The reading will last in all approximately four and a half hours. At the end, after the Museum closes, audience members are invited to stay for discussion and light refreshments.This staged reading revisits a classic text in a modern context, a face-to-face encounter for those hungry to engage with serious and pertinent ideas. A successful similar event took place in New York in January, and this is the first European marathon reading. Readers will include well known psychoanalysts, academics, writers, artists and performers. A list of confirmed names will be added shortly.“To read Civilization and its Discontents in 2015 is to bear witness to the deadly violence whose daily presence is all-too-familiar to us and imagine the conditions that might provide a loving counterweight to that violence.” Simon Critchley, Philosopher.Readers include:Sara Jane Bailes, University of SussexCaroline Bainbridge, Roehampton UniversityJulia Borossa, Middlesex UniversityPeter Boxall, University of SussexJosh Cohen, Goldsmiths, University of London, psychoanalystGerald Davidson, actor, researcherSimon Glendinning, LSE, PhilosopherAnouchka Grose, psychoanalyst and authorRachel Holmes, historian and authorDeborah Levy, novelistMichael Molnar, researcher and former Director, Freud Museum LondonDavid Morgan, consultant psychotherapist, psychoanalyst Bpas BpaAnkhi Mukherjee, University of OxfordCathy Naden, performer/writerDany Nobus, Brunel University LondonRuth Padel, poetJocelyn Pook, composer and musicianEric Prenowitz, University of LeedsAlan Read, King's College LondonCaroline Rooney, University of KentNicholas Royle, University of SussexKalu Singh, authorMarquard Smith, Kingston UniversityDavid Williams, RHUL, writer, dramaturgTimberlake Wertenbaker, playwrightSarah Wood, University of Kent

Civilization and its Discontents: A Marathon Reading The Centre for Creative and Critical Thought at the University of Sussex together with the Freud Museum London are pleased to announce a marathon reading of Sigmund Freud’s classic text, Civilization and its Discontents, at the Freud Museum on Sunday 14 June. Civilization and Its Discontents, written in 1929, remains the definitive text on human destructiveness. As news of wars around the globe, appalling brutality, religious conflict and sexual violence continue unabated, the relevance of this work is undeniable. ‘Men are not gentle creatures’ Freud wrote, ‘but ...creatures whose instinct [is] aggressiveness.’ The event is free with an admission ticket to the Freud Museum. There are no tickets and audience members can come and go as they please. This is a staged reading and interactive performance. The reading will last in all approximately four and a half hours. At the end, after the Museum closes, audience members are invited to stay for discussion and light refreshments. This staged reading revisits a classic text in a modern context, a face-to-face encounter for those hungry to engage with serious and pertinent ideas. A successful similar event took place in New York in January, and this is the first European marathon reading. Readers will include well known psychoanalysts, academics, writers, artists and performers. A list of confirmed names will be added shortly. “To read Civilization and its Discontents in 2015 is to bear witness to the deadly violence whose daily presence is all-too-familiar to us and imagine the conditions that might provide a loving counterweight to that violence.”  Simon Critchley, Philosopher. Readers include: Sara Jane Bailes, University of Sussex Caroline Bainbridge, Roehampton University Julia Borossa, Middlesex University Peter Boxall, University of Sussex Josh Cohen, Goldsmiths, University of London, psychoanalyst Gerald Davidson, actor, researcher Simon Glendinning, LSE, Philosopher Anouchka Grose, psychoanalyst and author Rachel Holmes, historian and author Deborah Levy, novelist Michael Molnar, researcher and former Director, Freud Museum London David Morgan, consultant psychotherapist, psychoanalyst Bpas Bpa Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford Cathy Naden, performer/writer Dany Nobus, Brunel University London Ruth Padel, poet Jocelyn Pook, composer and musician Eric Prenowitz, University of Leeds Alan Read, King's College London Caroline Rooney, University of Kent Nicholas Royle, University of Sussex Kalu Singh, author Marquard Smith, Kingston University David Williams, RHUL, writer, dramaturg Timberlake Wertenbaker, playwright Sarah Wood, University of Kent

Civilization and its Discontents: A Marathon ReadingThe Centre for Creative and Critical Thought at the University of Sussex together with the Freud Museum London are pleased to announce a marathon reading of Sigmund Freud’s classic text, Civilization and its Discontents, at the Freud Museum on Sunday 14 June.Civilization and Its Discontents, written in 1929, remains the definitive text on human destructiveness. As news of wars around the globe, appalling brutality, religious conflict and sexual violence continue unabated, the relevance of this work is undeniable. ‘Men are not gentle creatures’ Freud wrote, ‘but ...creatures whose instinct [is] aggressiveness.’The event is free with an admission ticket to the Freud Museum. There are no tickets and audience members can come and go as they please. This is a staged reading and interactive performance.The reading will last in all approximately four and a half hours. At the end, after the Museum closes, audience members are invited to stay for discussion and light refreshments.This staged reading revisits a classic text in a modern context, a face-to-face encounter for those hungry to engage with serious and pertinent ideas. A successful similar event took place in New York in January, and this is the first European marathon reading. Readers will include well known psychoanalysts, academics, writers, artists and performers. A list of confirmed names will be added shortly.“To read Civilization and its Discontents in 2015 is to bear witness to the deadly violence whose daily presence is all-too-familiar to us and imagine the conditions that might provide a loving counterweight to that violence.” Simon Critchley, Philosopher.Readers include:Sara Jane Bailes, University of SussexCaroline Bainbridge, Roehampton UniversityJulia Borossa, Middlesex UniversityPeter Boxall, University of SussexJosh Cohen, Goldsmiths, University of London, psychoanalystGerald Davidson, actor, researcherSimon Glendinning, LSE, PhilosopherAnouchka Grose, psychoanalyst and authorRachel Holmes, historian and authorDeborah Levy, novelistMichael Molnar, researcher and former Director, Freud Museum LondonDavid Morgan, consultant psychotherapist, psychoanalyst Bpas BpaAnkhi Mukherjee, University of OxfordCathy Naden, performer/writerDany Nobus, Brunel University LondonRuth Padel, poetJocelyn Pook, composer and musicianEric Prenowitz, University of LeedsAlan Read, King's College LondonCaroline Rooney, University of KentNicholas Royle, University of SussexKalu Singh, authorMarquard Smith, Kingston UniversityDavid Williams, RHUL, writer, dramaturgTimberlake Wertenbaker, playwrightSarah Wood, University of Kent

Session 4: USERS' AND EDUCATORS' PERSPECTIVESTom Cotton and Del Lowenthal - Personal versus medical meanings in breakdown, treatment and recovery from ‘schizophrenia’Jay Watts - Systemic means to subversive ends: maintaining the therapeutic space as a unique encounterRespondent: Rai Waddingham

Session 4: USERS' AND EDUCATORS' PERSPECTIVES Tom Cotton and Del Lowenthal - Personal versus medical meanings in breakdown, treatment and recovery from ‘schizophrenia’ Jay Watts - Systemic means to subversive ends: maintaining the therapeutic space as a unique encounter Respondent: Rai Waddingham

Session 3: EXTERNAL CRITIQUESAdrian Cocking - When Love Is Not All We Want: Queers, Singles and the Therapeutic Cult of RelationalityAnastasios Gaitanidis - Critical theory and psychotherapyRespondent: Julie Walsh

Session 3: EXTERNAL CRITIQUES Adrian Cocking - When Love Is Not All We Want: Queers, Singles and the Therapeutic Cult of Relationality Anastasios Gaitanidis - Critical theory and psychotherapy Respondent: Julie Walsh

Session 2: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND CRITICAL PSYCHIATRY?Ian Parker - Toward critical psychotherapy and counselling: what can we learn from critical psychology (and political economy)?Hugh Middleton - The Medical Model: What is it, where did it come from and how long has it got?Respondent: David Morgan

Session 2: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND CRITICAL PSYCHIATRY? Ian Parker - Toward critical psychotherapy and counselling: what can we learn from critical psychology (and political economy)? Hugh Middleton - The Medical Model: What is it, where did it come from and how long has it got? Respondent: David Morgan